Dispute over 1973 Camaro lands Winsted man in court

BANTAM -- A 1973 Camaro was at the heart of a five-year dispute that stretched from Winsted to Cromwell, and -- as of Monday -- Bantam Superior Court.

Michael Bell, 36, was arraigned on charges of third-degree larceny after allegedly refusing to return his niece's car and selling it on Craigslist. Bell, a Winsted resident, was released on $3,000 surety bond, and his case was continued to May 25.

According to police documents, Bell first came into possession of the car after his niece allegedly loaned it to him for repairs. The niece inherited the car from her father, who willed her all of his possessions. The niece brought the case to the attention of Winsted police in March 2009, telling police officers that Bell refused to return the car.

"Bell told (the niece) she would have to pay for the work or he was not returning the car," the report states.

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The niece also told police that she had put $5,000 of work into restoring the car, and had called Bell to return the car until he changed his phone number. The niece told police that she had called Waterbury Probate Court to sort out the issue, and as of February 2009, had the paperwork to indicate ownership of the car.

The case lay dormant for nearly three years, but the niece returned to Winsted's police in November 2011 to revive the matter. By this time, the niece said, she had registered the car in her name, using the proof of ownership from the Waterbury Probate Court, but could not locate Bell or the car.

Police eventually tracked Bell down to his new home -- the niece believed Bell lived in Lakeville, and Bell did not live at his old Winsted address, but still lived in town -- but the car was nowhere to be found. According to police, Bell said he believed the niece had picked up the car, but did not see her do so. Following the confrontation, police reported the car as stolen.

Three months later, on Feb. 9, the niece returned to Winsted's police, pulling up Bell's Facebook page. Bell allegedly posted on his page that he sold the Camaro and used the money to start his business, Laurel City Roadside Assistance. The Winsted police officer told the niece that since the car had been reported as stolen, the Department of Motor Vehicles would notify the police if anyone attempted to register the car.

That notification came one day later, as a Cromwell man called his local police department to report that he may have bought the stolen car. The man bought the Camaro from a Burlington man on Craigslist for $2,500, and told police that he recognized the car after Bell allegedly tried to sell it himself in 2009. However, the Cromwell man did not buy the car because he believed Bell was asking too much for the car -- Bell allegedly wanted $6,000 for the Camaro, and said it would not start.

The Cromwell man continued by telling police that he saw a 1973 Camaro on Craigslist for $2,500 in December 2011, buying it from a Burlington resident. The Burlington man claimed he bought the car from another man in Harwinton, who told police he had hired Bell at a previous job and traded him the Camaro for an unused Ford van. This man never attempted to register the car, but said Bell told him he received the Camaro from a relative who could not afford to repair the car.

Following the final transaction, the Cromwell man replaced several parts, putting an additional $1,000 into the car. According to police, none of the buyers in the previous chain knew the car may have been stolen. The car, which police valued at $6,000, was returned to Bell's niece in March, and the niece subsequently asked to have charges filed against Bell.